Novelty and Nostalgia: The Rise of Modern America, 1877 to 1945

Description

American social, cultural and political life underwent dramatic transformations during the period between the end of the Civil War and the end of World War II. Americans’ understanding of freedom, democracy, rights and responsibility evolved in significant ways, leading to a profound change in America’s national identity and international image. The forces that led to the emergence of modern America were both destructive and creative. Disruptions of all kinds reshaped Americans’ relationship with the natural world, the built environment, and the economy. Dramatic shifts in the nation’s demographic composition, fostered by emancipation, immigration, education, urbanization, and industrialization reshaped Americans relationships with one another. Everything seemed new –the new immigrants, the new woman, the new Negro, a new and more expansive federal government. All of these forces led to the establishment of a new kind of “average American life,” one that was more diverse, more urban, more educated and more mechanical than ever before. For many Americans, the “novelties” of the era inspired great optimism, encouraging excited reform of nearly every aspect of American life. For others, such rapid and profound change inspired fear and a sense of bitter nostalgia, spurring movements to control and temper social change. The journalist Walter Weyl captured the mood of this period in his book, The New Democracy: "America to-day is in a somber, soul-questioning mood. We are in a period of clamor, of bewilderment, of an almost tremulous unrest. We are hastily revising all our social conceptions. We are hastily testing all our political ideals. We are profoundly disenchanted with the fruits of a century of independence." This class explores the ways in which Americans were revising their social conceptions and testing their ideals between 1877 and 1945. Many of the conflicts and contradictions faced by the Americans who witnessed the rise of modern America continue to resonate in public discourse. Our emphasis will be on the social and cultural dimensions of American life. We will have an opportunity to explore the extent to which individuals and coalitions were able to affect social and cultural change and to influence policy and political discourse. We will also pay attention to voices of dissent and disillusionment. We will ask questions about the impact of political, economic and social turmoil on everyday life. We will seek to understand why the expansion of democracy and freedom is so often met with violent resistance. We will arrive at a deeper understanding of the experiences and beliefs that shaped everyday life in America.

Episodes

In the early 1900s, child labor was common. Lewis Hine dedicated himself to photographing children at work around the country. As a photographer for the National Child Labor Committee, he believed that his images would draw attention to the plight of children and lead Americans to press for an end to child labor. The National Child Labor Committee was composed of politicians and citizens who were concerned...

Following the stock market crash of October and the resulting American economic collapse, Maryland families were left haphazardly arrayed on a financial spectrum starting with “making do” and ending with scrounging. Wives and mothers often managed the day to day expenditures within families and those in the newly reduced middle class adapted and reframed the economic decisions that they made. Women...

In December 1933, Thurgood Marshall began preparing for his first major civil-rights case. Marshall, having recently graduated from Howard Law School, returned to his native Baltimore to practice law and became legal advisor to the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Marshall was set on fighting to desegregate the University of Maryland Law School...

The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad system is an important staple in American History, specifically for Baltimore City itself. The company started laying tracks throughout the city of Baltimore in the 1830s, and the city became a major hub in transportation of people and goods. Both the city and the Railroad Company encountered a challenge in 1904, when the Great Baltimore Fire destroyed the majority...

From 1890 to the early 1920s, Lombard street served as the center of Baltimore’s Jewish community. Considered a ghetto by outsiders, it was a bustling neighborhood of kosher butcher shops, delis, bakeries, bookstores, and Judaica shops. The boundaries of the community were defined by “Pratt Street to the north, Eastern Avenue to the south, Central Avenue to the east, and President Street to the...

When the men of America were called upon to serve their country during WWII, many job positions and duties on the Homefront were left unfulfilled. As a result, the women of America were encouraged to step up and take on the roles the men serving our country had left behind. The radio broadcast songs about women working in factories. Advertisers and propaganda agencies created fictional characters such...

In search of better living conditions, George W. McMechen and his family became the first black people to live on Baltimore’s McCulloh Street in June of 1910. Their windows were smashed, and someone threw a brick high enough to damage the skylight of their three story home. Young boys were blamed for this act of vandalism, but McMechen doubted that a mere boy could hurl a brick to such a height....

The Great Depression had devastating affect on the American economy. President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal programs were designed for relief, recovery, and reform. The Resettlement Administration was one of several new agencies created by the program. Under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture, the RA helped relocate farmers, refinance farms, and establish new and more sustainable communities....